What this is
What is a noise dosimetry record?
What is a noise dosimetry record?
A noise dosimetry record captures a worker's personal noise exposure over a representative shift using a body-worn dosimeter, expressed as an eight-hour time-weighted average or dose percentage. It is distinct from an area survey, which measures noise at a location rather than what a person actually receives.
Who should carry out noise dosimetry?
A trained sampler who understands correct microphone placement, calibration procedure and what tampering or clothing interference looks like in the trace afterwards. The result is only as good as the placement, and an untrained sampler produces a number that looks precise and means little.
What is the difference between LAeq, LEX,8h and dose percent?
LAeq is the average sound level over the measured period as it stands. LEX,8h normalises that to a standard eight-hour reference so shifts of different lengths can be compared on the same basis. Dose percent expresses the same exposure against a criterion level and exchange rate, and is the figure most directly tied to a regulatory action level.
Scope
When is a noise dosimetry record required?
This record is one step in a larger surveillance programme. Using it for a hazard that is not airborne acoustic energy, or a fixed-point survey rather than a personal exposure, produces a record that will not answer the question asked of it later.
Use this template when
- A task, area or process is suspected of exposing a worker at or near the regulatory action level
- A new exposure group is being established and needs its baseline personal exposure data
- A process, layout or equipment change may have altered a worker's noise exposure since the last measurement
- You are running the Occupational Health Surveillance programme and this is the noise-specific step in it
- A linked record needs this one to exist, such as a hearing protection selection or an audiometric testing trigger
Do not use it for
- Area Monitoring Record, which surveys noise at a fixed location rather than what a specific worker receives over a shift.
- Qualitative Exposure Assessment, which rates likely exposure by judgement before any instrument is used.
- Hand Arm Vibration Assessment and Whole Body Vibration Assessment, which cover a different physical agent entirely and are not satisfied by a noise result.
- Exposure Control Plan, which sets the programme-level control strategy rather than recording a single worker's measured exposure.
- Anything outside KnowHealth, which belongs in the workspace that owns that process
Compliance mapping
Which OSHA 1910.95 requirements does this satisfy?
OSHA 1910.95 sets out monitoring, notification, audiometric testing and hearing protection as connected duties, and CSA Z107 governs the measurement procedure that makes the resulting number trustworthy.
| Clause | Requirement | Where it lands |
|---|---|---|
| OSHA 1910.95(d) | Monitoring shall be conducted where information indicates that any employee's exposure may equal or exceed the action level | Measurement |
| OSHA 1910.95(d)(2)(iii) | Instruments used for measurement shall be calibrated to ensure accuracy | Header |
| OSHA 1910.95(e) | Employees exposed at or above the action level shall be notified of the monitoring results | Follow up |
| OSHA 1910.95(g) | An audiometric testing program shall be provided for employees exposed at or above the action level | Follow up |
| OSHA 1910.95(i) | Hearing protectors shall be furnished and their use enforced where exposure equals or exceeds the action level | Protection |
| OSHA 1910.95(i)(3) | Employer shall ensure attenuation is adequate for the exposure, and evaluate re-fitting where it is not | Protection |
| CSA Z107 | Measurement procedure and instrument calibration for occupational noise exposure sampling | Measurement |
What it does not cover
- Area Monitoring Record, which measures noise at a fixed point rather than a worker's personal exposure across a shift.
- Audiometric test record, which is the hearing test itself and belongs in the periodic health assessment programme, not the exposure measurement.
- Hand Arm Vibration Assessment or Whole Body Vibration Assessment, which address a different physical agent and are not satisfied by a noise result.
- Exposure Control Plan, which documents the programme's control strategy rather than a single measured exposure.
- Hearing conservation training record, which evidences training on the programme, separate from the measurement that triggered it.
Global
Noise Dosimetry Record requirements by country
The duty to measure and act on noise exposure is close to universal, but the action level, the exchange rate, and how prescriptive the measurement procedure is differ enough to matter.
OSHA 1910.95, occupational noise exposure
Action level of 85 dBA as an eight-hour time-weighted average triggers monitoring, notification, audiometric testing and hearing protection; the permissible limit is 90 dBA using a 5 dB exchange rate.
A result at or above 85 dBA is a legal trigger for the surveillance programme, not just a warning, and the record should be read that way.
Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005
Lower action value of 80 dB(A), upper action value of 85 dB(A), and an exposure limit value of 87 dB(A) measured accounting for any hearing protection worn.
The limit value is assessed with protection factored in, which makes an over-attenuated result as much a compliance question as an under-attenuated one.
ISO 9612, determination of occupational noise exposure
Defines the engineering method for measuring and estimating personal noise exposure, including task-based sampling strategies.
Where no national standard is more prescriptive, ISO 9612's task-based approach is the reference an assessor's sampling strategy is measured against.
How to complete it
How to complete a noise dosimetry record, step by step
The template prompts for a number. What makes the record defensible is the judgement behind which shift, task and protection assumption produced it.
State explicitly what made the monitored shift typical of normal work: same crew size, same production rate, same task mix. A record silent on this invites the challenge that the day chosen was a quiet one, with nothing to rebut it.
The shift total can obscure that one short, loud operation accounts for most of the exposure. Recording the highest contributing task turns a single number into an intervention point; its absence leaves the control conversation nowhere to start.
Attenuating a worker below roughly 70 dB cuts them off from alarms, reversing vehicles and warning shouts, and that is its own hazard rather than good practice. Checking only whether protection was worn, not whether it was too effective, has not assessed adequacy.
A result at or above the action level obliges audiometric testing, and the record should carry the reference forward rather than stopping at the number. An exceedance with no audiometry reference is a finding waiting to be made later, at worse cost.
What auditors find
Most common noise dosimetry record findings
Dosimetry findings are unusual in that the measurement itself is rarely wrong. What fails is the context: which shift, whether the instrument was trustworthy, whether the result reached anyone.
| Finding | Clause | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Dosimeter not calibrated before and after the measurement period, or only one calibration performed. | OSHA 1910.95(d)(2)(iii) | Require both pre- and post-calibration as a condition of accepting the result, and reject readings where only one was done. |
| Monitored shift not representative of normal work, with no stated justification for the day chosen. | OSHA 1910.95(d) | Record the specific reasons the shift was judged typical before the result is accepted into the surveillance record. |
| Tampering or clothing interference indicated in the trace but not investigated or remeasured. | CSA Z107 | Treat a possible-tampering result as invalid and repeat the measurement rather than accepting a doubtful number. |
| Worker not informed of the monitoring result. | OSHA 1910.95(e) | Record notification as a discrete, dated step; a result the worker never saw has not satisfied the duty. |
| Result at or above the action level with no audiometric testing reference raised. | OSHA 1910.95(g) | Make the audiometry reference a required field wherever the result crosses the action level, not an optional follow-up. |
| Over-protection risk not assessed where high-attenuation protectors are issued for a moderate exposure. | OSHA 1910.95(i)(3) | Compare attenuation rating against measured exposure and flag protection that isolates the worker below safe warning levels. |
Case in point
Case in point: the shift that was quiet by accident
A packaging line dosimetry record showed a worker at 82 dBA over an eight-hour shift, comfortably under the action level, and the file was closed with no further action. The measurement had been taken on a Tuesday when one of three filling machines was down for planned maintenance.
Eight months later a hearing conservation audit compared the dosimetry file against production records and found the third machine ran on every other shift that quarter. A repeat measurement on a full-crew day returned 89 dBA, above the action level, meaning the worker had been unprotected and unmonitored for the intervening months on the shifts that actually mattered.
The template
The template, field by field
The form exactly as it installs. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it.
5 sections
- Reference
- HLT-005
- Archetype
- Record
- Record ID
- EXP-2026-000
- Scoring
- Time weighted average dB
- Direction
- High is bad
- Singleton
- No
- Basis
- OSHA 1910.95, CSA Z107
- Links
- Links Worker, SEG, Site
- Tags
- Hygiene, Noise
- Sections
- 5
- Fields
- 42
- Follow up fields
- 3
- Repeating sections
- 0
- Links out
- 6
Header
11 fieldsRecord ID*
Auto sequence. Format DOS-2026-000.
The record's own ID. Other templates point at this value.
Status*
Drives who this goes to next.
- Planned2 pts
- In progress2 pts
- Complete3 pts
- Deferred0 pts
- Open0 pts
- Closed3 pts
- Overdue0 pts
Date and Time*
Completed By*
Site*
Site ID*
Format SITE-000.
Links to FDN-001 Site ID
Worker*
Person ID*
Format PER-0000.
Links to FDN-003 Person ID
SEG Reference
Links to HLT-001 Group Reference
Dosimeter Reference*
Calibration Before And After*
- Both done3 pts
- One only1 pt
- Neither0 pts
Measurement
9 fieldsTask Performed*
Area*
Shift*
Monitoring Start*
Monitoring End*
Duration Hours*
Representative Of Normal Work*
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Dosimeter Worn Correctly Throughout*
Microphone at the shoulder, not covered by clothing. Tampering shows as impossible peaks.
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Tampering Indicated*
- No3 pts
- Possible1 pt
- Yes0 pts
Results
8 fieldsLAeq Over Measurement Period*
Eight Hour LEX*
Peak Sound Pressure*
Lower Action Level Exceeded*
- No3 pts
- Yes1 pt
Upper Action Level Exceeded*
- No3 pts
- Yes0 pts
Exposure Limit Exceeded*
- No3 pts
- Yes0 pts
Dose Percent
Highest Contributing Task
Where the dose actually came from. Often one short task dominates the whole shift.
Protection
5 fieldsHearing Protection Worn*
- Yes, throughout3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Protection Attenuation Rating
Protected Exposure Level
Over Protection Risk*
Attenuating below 70 decibels isolates the worker from alarms and warning shouts.
- No3 pts
- Yes0 pts
Fit Check ID
Links to HLT-029 Check ID
Follow up
9 fieldsWorker Informed Of Result*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Audiometry Required*
Audiometry Record ID
Links to HLT-027 Record ID
Action Required*
Raise the action record, then enter its reference here.
- No2 pts
- Yes0 pts
Priority
- High0 pts
- Medium1 pt
- Low3 pts
CAPA ID
Format CAPA-2026-00000.
Links to FDN-014 CAPA ID
Action Owner
Occupational Hygienist*
Signature*
HLT-005 · record IDs look like EXP-2026-000 · Links Worker, SEG, Site
Open in KnowellaRun it with agents
From a document you fill in to a programme that runs itself
The measurement is a single number from a single day. What fails around it is the link forward: to protection selection, to audiometry, to the next review when conditions change.
Holds the dosimetry record against the exposure group and worker registers, and flags results that have crossed the action level without a linked audiometry reference.
Connects an exceedance to the hearing conservation training and protector fit-check the worker is now due, rather than leaving it as an assumption.
Watches production and staffing records for the change that should trigger a repeat measurement, and raises the review rather than waiting for the calendar.
This template lives in KnowHealth — employee wellbeing. Exposure monitoring, health surveillance, case management and return to work.
Meet KnowHealth→Glossary
Noise Dosimetry Record definitions and key terms
- LAeq
- The equivalent continuous A-weighted sound level over the measured period, expressing a fluctuating exposure as a single steady-state figure.
- LEX,8h
- The measured exposure normalised to a standard eight-hour reference period, allowing shifts of different lengths to be compared on the same basis.
- Dose percent
- Exposure expressed against a regulatory criterion level and exchange rate; 100 percent represents exactly the permissible exposure for the period measured.
- Action level
- The exposure threshold, typically 80–85 dBA depending on jurisdiction, above which monitoring, notification, hearing protection and audiometric testing duties are triggered.
- Over-protection
- Hearing protection that attenuates sound below the level needed for safety, isolating the wearer from alarms and warning signals rather than merely reducing harmful noise.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about noise dosimetry record
How long should a noise dosimetry measurement run?+
Long enough to capture a full, representative shift, including breaks unless they are clearly noise-free and excluded deliberately. A partial-shift measurement extrapolated to eight hours carries more uncertainty than one that covers the period.
What does an action level exceedance actually require?+
Notification of the worker, provision and enforced use of hearing protection, and enrolment in audiometric testing. It is a set of connected obligations, and a record that stops at logging the number has only started the response.
Can dosimetry be replaced by an area noise survey?+
Not for personal exposure decisions. An area survey describes the environment; dosimetry describes what a specific worker, moving through it and performing specific tasks, actually receives. Where movement and task mix vary, the two can diverge substantially.
How do you know if a dosimeter was tampered with?+
Impossible peaks, sudden silences inconsistent with the task, or a trace that does not match the observed shift are the usual signs. Any of them should invalidate the reading, because a tampered result understates exposure precisely when it matters most.
Is a higher attenuation hearing protector always better?+
No. Above roughly 70 dB of remaining sound, a worker is cut off from alarms, reversing vehicles and warning shouts, which introduces a different hazard. Attenuation should be matched to the measured exposure, not maximised.
How often should dosimetry be repeated?+
Whenever the process, layout, equipment or staffing that produced the last result changes materially, and at whatever periodic interval the local hearing conservation programme sets as a backstop. The change trigger matters more than the calendar, because it is what actually invalidates a prior result.
Keep going
Related templates and programmes
Industries this is written for
Programmes this belongs to
Used together in Occupational Health Surveillance
Similar Exposure Group Register
Groups workers who share the same tasks, agents and exposure patterns
Qualitative Exposure Assessment
Rates likely exposure using professional judgement, task knowledge and existing data, before any sampling
Personal Air Sampling Record
Records a sample taken from a worker's breathing zone over a shift
Area Monitoring Record
Records fixed point sampling in a work area rather than on a person
Chemical Exposure Assessment
Assesses exposure to a specific chemical across the tasks where it is used
Exposure Result Review
Reviews sampling results statistically across a group, rather than judging single samples
More in Exposure Monitoring
Similar Exposure Group Register
Groups workers who share the same tasks, agents and exposure patterns
Qualitative Exposure Assessment
Rates likely exposure using professional judgement, task knowledge and existing data, before any sampling
Personal Air Sampling Record
Records a sample taken from a worker's breathing zone over a shift
Area Monitoring Record
Records fixed point sampling in a work area rather than on a person
Chemical Exposure Assessment
Assesses exposure to a specific chemical across the tasks where it is used
Exposure Result Review
Reviews sampling results statistically across a group, rather than judging single samples
Written and reviewed by
Siddarth Singh
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Knowella
Certified Safety Professional and industrial and systems engineer with more than a decade inside food supply chain, freight and manufacturing operations. This page was written against the current text of the standards it cites, not against secondary summaries of them.
- Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Board of Certified Safety Professionals
- MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- MS and BS, The Ohio State University, Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Six Sigma Black Belt
Sources and last review. Reviewed 16 August 2026 against:
- OSHA 1910.95 — Occupational noise exposure
- CSA Z107 — Noise measurement and hearing conservation
- ISO 9612 — Acoustics, determination of occupational noise exposure
- Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 (UK)
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm requirements with your jurisdiction’s regulator.